Of Blood and Monsters Read online

  “I can bite too,” I snarled, eyeing the dip at the base of his neck. I could feel myself salivating at the thought.

  What the hell was happening to me?

  He groaned and tugged me closer. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Our blood bond is even stronger after I tasted your blood again a few hours ago. It makes us irresistibly drawn to one another. If you bite me and drink my blood…it will only strengthen our bond.”

  My anger bled out of me, replaced by fear. “As in forever?”

  He hesitated. “Perhaps.”

  I reached my hand up to the bite on my collarbone. “Abel. I should have had a say in this.”

  “Bite or no bite, I’ve claimed you, Piper Lancaster,” he said in a gravelly voice. He reached for my left palm and gently opened my still-clenched fingers. With his index finger, he traced the circle and square in the center of my palm, supernatural symbols that had appeared there as my powers unfurled.

  “Because I’m Kewasa?” I asked, fighting the shiver skating down my back.

  “No, because you’re you.”

  I shook my head. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’ve waited my entire life for you, Piper, and fate’s cruel hand has made you my Kewasa.” He closed my fist and then covered it with his hand. “Together, we defied Okeus. We tricked him, and for that alone, he will seek us out and punish us. But if he doesn’t already know what you can do, he’ll find out soon enough. Tsagasi did. Okeus will enslave you, Piper. We have to find a way to keep the crescent moon from appearing on your hand so I can help protect you. If we don’t, I worry he’ll punish you for killing me, or if the mark appears when you’re locked up, you’ll go mad trying to get to me to kill me.”

  All of which sounded terrible. “We have to go back.”

  He slid his arm around the small of my back and pulled me closer. “Not yet.”

  “You know time moves more slowly here. Twenty minutes means hours there.”

  “That’s one reason why I want to wait.” He kissed me again, his lips possessive but gentler than before. I plastered myself against him and demanded more, grabbing his face and holding him in place. His arm wrapped around my lower back like a vise. Every bit of me was pressed against him, yet I craved more.

  He jerked his head up and took a breath as though he’d been underwater, his eyes hooded with lust. “This is the other. I keep trying not to touch you,” he ground out as his fingers dug into my flesh, “but you have a gravitational pull I’m powerless to resist.”

  Cradling his face in my hands, I searched his eyes, wishing I knew what was going on behind them. Wishing I knew everything he did about my role in this mess. That ring he wore dulled our blood bond, and part of me wanted to pull it off his finger. The tension in his arms loosened. For a moment, I thought he was pushing me away, but he took the ring off and slid it onto the thumb of my left hand.

  Find your answers, Waboose, he thought, staring at me with an intensity that stole my breath. But something else caught my attention.

  “I thought the ring blocked us from reading each other’s thoughts.”

  He gave me a wry grin. “That wasn’t entirely true.” The ring allows the wearer to read the other’s thoughts as well as to transmit thoughts to them.

  While part of me was pissed that he’d lied, I needed to focus. “So I can read your thoughts, but you can’t read mine?”

  Can you see my entire history before you knew me?

  The answer was no. The ring didn’t give me full access to his mind, only his thoughts, which were very X-rated as he engulfed me in his embrace. His mouth lowered to the side of my neck, his tongue darting across my skin.

  “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” I asked. Desire washed through me in steep waves, making me want to claim his mouth and make it mine.

  “Ask your questions, Kewasa,” he prodded. His warm breath feathered the curve where my neck met my shoulder blade, sending shivers down my back. “While I still have coherent thought.”

  I was never going to find my answers this way. Bracing myself like I was leaving a warm shower to walk into a freezing room, I stepped away from him.

  That’s good, he thought even as I felt his profound disappointment and longing for me. He hadn’t been lying—he craved me. His eyes lifted to mine and I found myself falling into them, needing to touch him again.

  “This attraction isn’t normal,” I said, panting to regain my breath. “I can see you feel it too. What is this?”

  I’m not sure, but it’s supernatural.

  “Soul mates?” I asked cringing at the clichéd term.

  His thoughts stumbled as though he were trying to sort it out himself. Deeper than soul mates, I think.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Soul mates is a human concept,” he said, struggling to explain. “In the supernatural world, there is an alpha and his or her followers. The concept of equality is unheard of. Unnatural.”

  “You mean there has to be one person in charge while the others obey?” I asked.

  He nodded. “But you and I don’t have that hierarchy. I’ve tried to exert supernatural authority over you, yet it never works.”

  “You did mean to control me with that bite, didn’t you?” I asked, reaching up to brush it with my fingertips.

  “I won’t apologize for it,” he said, holding his head high. “You were walking into a trap with the demons, which meant near-certain death, and I was helpless to stop you.”

  “And if I’d died, you would have lost your chance to put a stop to this endless life,” I said, but the feelings rolling off him seemed to be more about me than him.

  “There is that,” he said with a cocky grin, but the ring helped me see beyond his brash attitude. Despite having courted death for centuries, he was willing to live longer if it meant protecting me. He genuinely cared more about my life than his own, and no one was more shocked about that than Abel himself. His feelings for me were a curiosity that he longed to study and explore. He loved puzzles and unanswerable questions, and I was a whole package of oddities and unexplained phenomena he wanted to figure out.

  “Do you really think you’ll drag me to hell if we sleep together?” I asked.

  My question was like a cup of water tossed onto a bonfire. “I’m destined for hell, Piper. That is a fact. Given our supernatural attraction, sex is sure to bind us. Which means you’ll go by default.”

  I frowned, following his reasoning but looking for a loophole. Then an idea sparked to life. “You said the supernatural world doesn’t have equals. There’s always an alpha.”

  “Yes.”

  “What about the curse keepers? You said they represent the land and the sea. Equal but different.”

  A sardonic grin twisted his lips but didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s not entirely true, is it? Ellie’s clearly in charge.”

  “Only because Collin allows it,” I countered. “I can feel it. He loves her and he betrayed her. He only yields his control because he’s trying to pay for the pain he’s caused her.”

  He shook his head, squashing the hope that had begun to blossom. “You don’t know that for certain. You only wish it to be true.”

  He had a point, but I’d seen them together. “I think he could reclaim his share of the power anytime he chooses.”

  “Where are you going with this, Kewasa?” He didn’t like thinking about Collin. He didn’t like the way the curse keeper had insinuated that he was interested in sleeping with me. The more he thought about it, the deeper his anger tunneled.

  I placed my hand on his chest, staring up into his eyes. “There is only one man for me, Abel. You.”

  His anger dissipated at my touch. “I am no man, Piper,” he said in defeat. “I am a demigod. It would be better for you if we could sever this connection.”

  I gave him a sad smile. “Don’t waste your time. Don’t waste our time. There’s no one else I want.”

  “You’re young. Y
ou don’t know that. If we appease Okeus, you could live many more decades.”

  Yet I did know. Although neither of us knew the how or why of it, Kieran Abel was supernaturally stamped upon my soul.

  I slipped the ring off and put it on his finger, wanting him to hear my thoughts so there could be no misunderstandings. His eyes widened. “Piper.”

  “Shh…” I placed a soft kiss on his lips, certain about something else as well.

  “No,” he said, trying to pull away. “I will not be responsible for damning you to hell.”

  “Don’t underestimate me. The curse keepers are equals, and so are we. You can control every creature on multiple planes, and yet you can’t control me. I am your Kewasa.” I pressed my hand to his cheek, reveling in the feel of his stubble against my palm. “I’m your equal, Abel, and I’m a witness to creation. Surely that serves some purpose in all of this. What if instead of you dragging me to hell, I pull you up to heaven?”

  His eyes turned glassy, and I didn’t need the ring to know that I’d given him hope. He hadn’t considered it before, but here, in this world I’d created, he believed it might be possible. “It’s a theory at best, Piper, a pipe dream at worst.”

  “And yet I believe it’s true.” I smiled at him. “The ring proves it. It works both ways—if we weren’t equals, I couldn’t use it to read your thoughts.”

  A wry grin quirked his mouth. “For someone who’s only known about the supernatural world for a matter of weeks, you have a lot of opinions about it.”

  “I suppose I do. I’ll stand by them until I’m proven wrong.”

  “By then it will be too late.”

  He was right, but I was certain the bond between us had a deeper purpose. I wasn’t Abel’s Kewasa to send him on his merry way to hell. I was truly his deliverer, capable of saving him from his fate.

  “I agree that there is more to this than your role as Kewasa,” he said, “but I’m not willing to take the chance.”

  “But I am.”

  Chapter Three

  Piper

  “You can’t be serious,” Abel said. He stared at me, stunned, and I took advantage of his stupor to kiss him. I slipped an arm around his neck and clung to him as I pressed my mouth to his, licking his bottom lip.

  “Piper,” he growled.

  “It’s okay,” I murmured against his mouth.

  He leaned back again, his lust-filled eyes trained on mine. “I know I should tell you no, but every part of me burns for you.”

  “Abel,” I said with a soft smile. “Let me be your real Kewasa.”

  His mouth crashed into mine in a frenzy of teeth and tongue and heat, the intensity taking my breath away. He pushed me backward toward the door into the house, but when I stumbled, he scooped me up into his arms and strode across the living room and down a short hall to his room, still kissing me until I was panting.

  He lowered my legs until my bare feet touched the wood floor. It struck me that the room was fully furnished—a large bed, nightstands, a sitting area in front of a fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked over the valley. Had these details been pulled from my mind? I’d never been in Abel’s bedroom before, so I didn’t know if the room was a perfect replica.

  But I didn’t have time to ask. Abel lowered his mouth to my neck as his hand cupped my butt, hauling me up against him.

  I lifted my hands to his shoulders, my fingers tracing his firm muscles. It wasn’t enough—nothing could be. I pressed a kiss to his chest, over the hour-old scar—then licked it and a shudder rippled through his body.

  Sliding his hand down to my thigh, he hiked my leg up and around his hip and pressed me into the bulge in his pants. He released a low groan.

  Lifting my mouth to his, I bit his lower lip, then licked it.

  He groaned again. “I’m about to throw you onto the bed and take you.”

  My core tightened and desire washed through me, stealing my breath. “So do it.”

  Dropping my leg, he took a step back, his chest heaving. “Take off your bra and panties.”

  The side of my mouth lifted into a grin. “What happened to throwing me onto the bed and taking me?”

  He flashed a strained grin as he reached for the button of his jeans. “I’m determined to make this last longer than a seventeen-year-old boy’s first time.”

  I reached behind my back with both hands and unhooked my bra but hesitated before I let it drop. Abel was a demigod, more physically perfect than any mortal man. I’d spent the last two weeks working out twice a day, three hours at a time, with the men Abel had hired to train me to defend myself against demons. I’d lost my former softness and replaced it with muscle. He’d told me two nights ago that he preferred my appearance before.

  “Waboose,” he purred, reaching for the straps and nudging them over my shoulders. “I prefer you strong and alive.” He paused as the bra dropped and his gaze fell to my breasts. “You’re absolutely beautiful.” Sensing I wasn’t totally convinced, he said, “I only said that to aggravate you. I was fighting my feelings for you, Piper. I knew it would make things easier for both of us if you were pissed at me.” His hands lowered to cup my breasts. “If I made you feel less desirable, I’m sorry.”

  I sucked in a breath as he tweaked my nipple and a new rush of lust washed through me. “Jeans off. Now.”

  He quickly unfastened his jeans and pushed them and his boxer briefs down. When he stepped out of them, the only barrier between us was my panties, yet he still didn’t reach for me.

  “Are you absolutely sure?” he said, his voice strained. “If I were a better man, I would tell you no and that would be the end of it, but my father is the god of hell. His power flows through my veins.”

  I hooked my thumbs under my panties and pushed them over my hips, letting them drop to the floor.

  “Let me be your Kewasa, Abel,” I said again.

  His jaw tightened and his hands fisted at his sides. “You’re risking your soul on a hunch, Piper. Think this through.”

  I closed the distance between us and placed my palms on his chest, slowly sliding them down his abs until I took him in one hand with a slow, firm stroke. “The only thing I need to think through is protection.” Then I remembered something he’d told me the day before. “Then again, maybe not. Since you’re sterile and you said you can’t contract sexually transmitted diseases, right?”

  He hardened even more in my hand as I continued to stroke. “And if I tell you I’m a cesspool of disease, would that change your mind?” he said through gritted teeth.

  I grinned, thrilled that I could make Kieran Abel lose control.

  My thoughts spurred him into action. He pulled me onto the bed and lowered himself beside me, slipping a hand between my legs and claiming my breast with his mouth. My back arched as he set every nerve ending in my body on fire.

  “There’s so much I want to do to you,” he ground out as he kissed his way to my other breast. “But my need for you will soon win out.”

  I knew what he meant. While I was eager to savor every part of him, there was a hunger deep in my soul that demanded to be satiated.

  “This won’t last long, Waboose, and for that I’m sorry.” And with that, he rolled on top of me, shoving his arms under my back and gripping my shoulders as he braced himself on his forearms. He looked deep into my eyes as he prodded my entrance. “You are a witness to creation, Kewasa—” He entered me with a short stroke.

  Everything in me cried out for more. “Abel…”

  “You think I’m perfect, but in the supernatural world, that makes your soul pure.” He retreated and pushed deeper. “And me unworthy.”

  I cried out, wrapping my arms around his back and trying to pull him in deeper. “No,” I said, my voice tight. “Opposites. Equals.”

  His eyes searched mine again. “That remains to be seen, but I’m powerless to stop now.”

  He filled me with a hard thrust, fully seating himself. His eyes closed, and he paused to suck in a breath.<
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  “Then don’t stop,” I said in a low, sultry voice as I squeezed around him.

  His eyes opened, filled with raw hunger and power. My left palm began to burn, and I snatched it from his back to see the marks had begun to glow. My gaze shot up to Abel’s. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my palm, sending a bolt of electricity straight to my core, and I cried out in surprise and pleasure.

  The human part of Abel seemed to be replaced by his supernatural half as he growled, digging his fingers into my shoulders, and began a rhythm of long, hard thrusts, yet he no matter how deeply he thrust, it wasn’t deep enough.

  Grunting in frustration, he grabbed my right leg and pulled my calf up over his shoulder, then plunged even deeper.

  I cried out again as he shifted his weight, hitting all the right spots that wound me tighter, yet it still wasn’t enough. I needed more. “Abel.”

  I felt a wave of power flow from him. As always, my body responded, craving him, but this time my own power rose up to meet the surge. I heard him gasp in surprise, just before he lost all control.

  I fell into myself, surrounded by his power and the thrusts that pushed me higher and higher until I fell apart, crying out his name.

  The room began to spin, plunging into a black void. I was nothing, surrounded by nothing.

  Fear raced through my head, but then an explosion of energy and light blinded me. It flooded me with more power than I was sure I could hold, but I realized my body wasn’t present, only my consciousness. A combination of vapor and energy exploded and then another and another, forming red and blue and white balls of light, erupting with violence everywhere around me. Everything began to move at a speed I struggled to comprehend, yet I had a sense of déjà vu, like I’d been here before. Then the déjà vu found a foothold in my soul, in the memories imprinted in my DNA, and I was overwhelmed with awe.

  I was witnessing the birth of the universe.

  I continued hurtling through space until I finally slowed down, and I began to orbit an explosion of yellow and orange light. Somehow I knew it was a dying star. It began to spin, creating a vortex that threatened to suck me in, then exploded into a blinding light, and I knew I’d witnessed the birth of our sun.